Monday, January 2, 2012

Chris' Top 20 Songs of 2011

Hey all! I figured I'd resurrect this blog for the purpose of writing about my favorite songs of 2012. Not sure if it was because I tried harder to listen to new music this past year or because the music of 2011 was just too special to be ignored, but I had a whole lot of fun with these new songs. Here's my Top 20, based on Play Count and the star ratings I handed out in iTunes. The top 18 were 5-starrers (meaning I love them and I want to hear them often.) 19 and 20 were 4-starrers, meaning I could stand to hear them just a tad less often, but I still think they're good. Here we go:


20. Yuck - Suicide Policeman



When my buddies Mark O and Mike G both tell me to check out a band, that's when I know its got to be good. When its one or the other, I typically just pretend like I checked it out and say, "That was alright." Christ, I didn't know there was that alligator in this video.

19. Billy Bragg - Never Buy The Sun



Listening to a BB song tends to make me feel informed, whether or not I really know what he's going on about. Encouraged me to look up "Scouser."

18. Jonny - Candyfloss



This group Jonny had to be good, since it was a combo of two of my favorite songwriting dudes, Euros Childs of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub. This was the first track I heard off of the record, so it holds a special spot, as it was an immediate clue-in that I wouldn't be disappointed with the record. Unfortunately for them, its still just the second best song called Candyfloss ever.

17. Fountains of Wayne - Road Song



In a slower year, they're be a couple FOW songs on this list. They dialed back the irony and ridiculousness a bit on this record and made a really nice one. This is the top track though.

16. Fiona Apple & Jon Brion - Everday



I still can't figure out if its Fiona doing the low harmony or JB. Either way, this was definitely the most wonderful Buddy Holly cover of 2011, and there were a lot of them.

15. Those Darlins - Boy



This band represents the sort of thing that I wouldn't have given a chance in my late 20s. Now, I'm trying to stay young.

14. Brian Wilson - Kiss The Girl



I wasn't too skeptical when Brian announced he was doing an all Disney covers album. But this one and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" were the two that I was most ready to cringe at. But then he went and made a pretty perfect record.

13. Tambourine Club - Dry Your Eyes



This one's a lesser known one by my buddy Bryan in Kansas City. To be honest, I heard this one in 2010, but it wasn't officially released until 2011, so we're cool. As I'll mention when I talk about my other friend bands, what I like about this most is that it plays to a certain sensibility of my own songwriting desires. For this one, its a solitary recording. One that I can imagine working on at 3am, not asking anyone else for help. Not sure if its just Bryan on here, but I'm gonna keep living under that assumption. I love the dirty solos that mimic the lead vocal line. For whatever reason, Bryan's vocal reminds me of some of my favorite late 1980s hard rock, particularly the dudes from LA Guns or Faster Pussycat.


12. Mike Roy - Please Stay



The second of the so-called friends bands. Wait, I didn't mean for that to sound so insulty. Continuing on that last thought, I admire that Roy went all-in on this album. He did a kickstarter thing and made a record that sounds great, one that I'd love to have in my arsenal. The violin on this thing is wicked. I really like the line about sticking his thumb in that lady's eye. That's not cool, Roy!


11. The Baseball Project - 1976




Baseball Project Volume 2 wasn't as good as the first one, but this one is still great. This one's in honor of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, specifically referencing his Rookie of the Year season in 1976, when he was nearly invincible. Injuries pretty much immediately kicked his butt after that season, unfortunately.

10. Ron Sexsmith - Eye Candy



I watched a BBC documentary on the making of this album, where Sexsmith simultaneously came off as endearing and a little insufferable, due to too much "Being a cult icon doesn't do much for me, I need to pay the bills." So he enlisted Bob Rock to produce a pretty amazing record. My warped memories suggest Bob Rock appeared in every Metallica video that they released from the black album. The doc highlighted a lot of different songs, but I was surprised that my two faves didn't garner any screen time.

9. St. Even - Dreams/My Rope



Here's the Last Crusade of my friend trilogy. Whereas Bryan recorded my ultimate 3am track and Roy recorded my ultimate alt-country record...Steve recorded an album that I could have never thought up in a thousand years. The decisions that I hear on this record just blow my mind.

8. J Mascis - Where Are You



Mascis has never been known for breaking new ground lyrically, and I could have sworn that Dinosaur already had a half dozen songs and a couple albums called "Where Are You," but he still got it done.

7. Jonny - Circling The Sun



And now for JONNY's top track from the record. Norman's at his finest on this one. He's not necessarily breaking new ground for himself on this one, yet I can't picture this as a Fannies song. That snare hit before the chorus acts as a warning that its going to be a corker.


6. Ryan Adams - I Love You But I Don't Know What To Say




This was the first Ryan Adams album that I bought upon its release since Jacksonville City Nights. Otherwise, I slowly get around to listening to him, and sort of enjoying it. This album is awesome though, and I think its not just because Glyn Johns produced it. My buddy Wardog compared the record to Jackson Browne, and in tone, I can agree. However, this dude has never written a lyric that's come close to punching me in the gut like a JB does. This was a valiant effort though.

5. "Weird Al" Yankovic - Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me



At this stage, I shouldn't be expecting much out of a new Weird Al record, which made this album all the more enjoyable. This track is the showcase. In the hands of 99 other people, this song would come out sounding terrible and the bad kind of corny. The 1% (Weird Al) set out to do it right and he knocked it out of the park. You'll reach the climax of tears when you hear, "And your 2 million loser friends all have my address now 'cause you never figured out the way to Bcc."

4. Caitlin Rose - Own Side



Not even an underwhelming live experience could put a damper on this track. Something I'm reading now suggests this might have come out in 2010, but I'm not buying it. My kind of lady singer. Subtle, without a lot of vocal eccentricities.

3. Ron Sexsmith - Get In Line



In the previously mentioned documentary, it was either a mildly disgustingly dressed Elvis Costello or a thoroughly disgustingly dressed Daniel Lanois (or was that just David Cross doing a bit?) that said Sexsmith has catchy melodies coming out of his ear. Attire aside, they were dead right, and this one's the proof.

2. The Bangles - I Will Never Be Through With You



After his heavy-handed production on the two Sweet/Hoffs records, I almost didn't buy this new Bangles record when I heard that Matthew Sweet had produced it. Turns out he did a heck of a job. Susanna Hoffs has maybe
lost a tiny tiny touch in the vocal department (certainly not in the looks department), but this is still a fantastic vocal showcase. My research shows that this was the first single from the album. Duh, right??!

1. Brian Wilson - Colors of the Wind



Oh Brian. You took a pretty boring song from a pretty boring movie and made it my favorite song of 2011. You made me cry with simultaneous joy and anguish when I heard, "How high will the sycamore grow? If you cut it down, you'll never know."